The Engineer Signed Off. The Door Still Failed.
Additions & RenovationsOn this page The jobWhat happenedWhy a door header sagsThe call we should have made firstLVL vs. solid wood headerTakeawaysThe verdictFAQ Berkeley Hills Remodel Alex PellOwner, Beyond Green Construction · 6 min read Nobody can see a door header sagging a thirty-second of an inch. The door can. In 2016, on a whole-house remodel in the Berkeley Hills, we hung a 12-foot bi-fold door under a Douglas fir header the engineer had sized and stamped. Two months after final inspection,...
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Why Trim Joints Open Up, and Why I Preassemble Casing
Additions & RenovationsOn this page The client askedSix months laterYour house movesHow preassembly resists itThe client's choiceTakeawaysThe verdictFAQ Piedmont Addition · Part 3 of 3 Alex PellOwner, Beyond Green Construction · 6 min read Trim joints separate because houses move. About eleven years ago, a client asked whether we’d preassemble the door casing, and the answer was that piece by piece would be good enough. Six months later, about ten doors had lines at the corners, exactly what the client had asked...
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The Plumbing Lesson I Learned the Hard Way on a Piedmont Addition
Additions & RenovationsOn this page The jobThe hole I didn’t drillThe noiseGetting it quietWhy the crawl spaceTakeawaysThe verdictFAQ Piedmont Addition · Part 2 of 3 Alex PellOwner, Beyond Green Construction · 6 min read Keep as much plumbing in the crawl space as you can, or you may end up with water hammer the whole house can hear. On our 2021 Piedmont addition, I skipped drilling one hole through the stem wall and sent the entire one-inch water main up a bedroom...
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